Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

The operating lights were blindingly white. The anesthetic spread coolly.

Gu Xidong felt as if his left knee had been cut open; it didn't hurt, only felt a pulling sensation.

"We've found the stent," the doctor said in a muffled voice. "There's a foreign object in the fixation slot."

The titanium alloy support lies in the metal tray, with a silver memory device the size of a button embedded in the side slot.

"The seal is intact." The doctor rinsed it and handed it to his assistant. "Read the data immediately."

The assistant quickly walked to the next room, where there was a device for reading special chips.

Thirty minutes later, the assistant walked out with a strange expression, carrying a memory card and a note.

The paper reads: Data read failure - degradation of the biological encapsulation layer, corrosion of the chip circuit, estimated loss rate of original data: 97%.

Gu Xidong's breathing stopped.

"The human body has a complex internal environment... It's considered lucky if the implanted tissue can be preserved for three to five years."

"The doctor said regretfully, "There is a 3% chance of recovering the data, but it cannot be guaranteed to be valid information."

Gu Xidong closed his eyes. What Zheng Guoquan had risked his life for was rotting in his knees.

The door opened again.

Ling Wuwen walked in, her face pale but her eyes calm. She grasped Gu Xidong's hand: "There are other paths."

"That 3% of the data," Ling Wuwen turned to the doctor, "how long will it take to repair?"

"It depends on the extent of the damage. It might take a few days, or it might never be repaired."

"Where can I get this kind of repair done?"

The doctor hesitated: "There are only three institutions in China. Two have military backgrounds, and one is... a company controlled by Zhou Wentao."

The air froze. Their only hope lay in the hands of their enemy.

"Going abroad?" Ling Wu asked.

"There's not enough time, your identities are sensitive, and your chips won't pass security."

Dead end.

Gu Xidong stared at the melting eyes on the ceiling. Three years of struggle, Zheng Guoquan's sacrifice—in exchange for a nearly ruined chip.

Ling Wuwen's hand tightened, her nails digging into his palm. "In what situations is 3% data useful?"

The doctor pondered, "If it's a critical index, such as a file directory or password key, it might be possible to find a complete backup of the data."

"Where is the backup?"

"If Ling Wufeng is smart, he will definitely leave a backup somewhere else. The memory is just for insurance."

"Repair the chip first, using the best resources we can find," Ling Wuwen decided.

"Investigate other leads at the same time. The physical evidence provided by Coach Zheng is tangible and will not be corrupted."

2

The surgery was over. Gu Xidong was wheeled back to his ward, his left knee wrapped in a thick bandage, and waves of pain washed over him.

Ling Wuwen sat on the edge of the bed, carefully examining the photograph. "The envelope's thickness is off... Why give cash the night before the match?"

"Money. Cash," Gu Xidong said, "unless the money is illicit."

"There's writing on the envelope." Ling Wuwen pressed a magnifying glass against the edge of the photo. "It's very small... like a number."

She took the photo and imported it into software for processing. The blurry text gradually became clear:

S-07-22

"What does S stand for?" Gu Xidong asked.

"A locker? Number 07, 22 might be..." Ling Wuwen paused, "The date of your competition, November 22nd."

She searched for "S-07" and the results showed: VIP locker area of ​​the Capital Sports Center, S07 is located at the end of the corridor of the referee's lounge.

"Put the money in the envelope into the locker. S-07-22, password 1122 or the locker compartment number." Ling Wuwen's eyes lit up.

"If Chen Guodong and Chen Rui are both dead, Zhou Wentao wouldn't know about this cabinet..."

"The money might still be there. But what use is cash in three years?"

"The envelope itself. It may contain fingerprints or DNA evidence proving illegal pre-match transactions."

A glimmer of hope has been ignited.

There was a knock on the ward door. The doctor walked in, holding a tablet: "We've managed to fix something from 3% of the data."

Broken text mixed with garbled characters:

...Backup...Cloud...Key...Son...School...Switzerland...Account Password...LWF...0807...

"LWF is an abbreviation for Ling Wufeng, and 0807 is our birthday." Gu Xidong stroked the screen. "The backup is in the cloud, and the key is related to his son?"

"Zhou Wentao's son is studying in Switzerland," Ling Wuwen recalled. "Ling Wufeng may have hacked into the school system, or Zhou Wentao may have used his son's information as a password."

"My parents often use passwords to set family information." She picked up her phone and contacted Raven.

The sky outside the window was gradually darkening.

The city lights gradually came on. Gu Xidong looked at the bandage on his knee; the pain was still there, but the determination in his chest was even clearer.

Zheng Guoquan is dead, the memory has failed, and the chain of evidence has broken—but the game is not over.

It's just a different way of playing.

手机震动，渡鸦回覆：「周子安，17岁，苏黎世国际学校。学号SA-2023-1147。护照号G****。出生日期2006年9月18日。」

The blond boy in the attached photo has an innocent smile.

"The address cannot be found in the cloud. Enterprise-level protection is strict; an account and password are required for location tracking." Ling Wuwen shook his head.

"Then let Zhou Wentao give it to him himself," Gu Xidong said calmly. "In exchange, use his son. Tell him we've captured Zhou Zi'an and want cloud backup access in exchange."

That was kidnapping.

"Negotiation. We won't harm the child, we just want Zhou Wentao to believe that his son is in our hands." Gu Xidong sat up, the pain making him break out in a cold sweat, but his eyes remained icy and calm. "Raven has resources in Switzerland and can arrange for people to approach the school and create signs of an 'accident.' Zhou Wentao will panic, and panic makes mistakes."

Ling Wuwen remained silent for a long time. Outside the window, the siren of an ambulance blared as it drew closer.

"What if he's not threatened?"

"Then we've lost. But we've run out of chips to lose, so this is our last desperate move."

He grasped Ling Wuwen's cold hand: "Are you afraid?"

Ling Wuwen looked at him and suddenly laughed. His laugh held a mixture of madness and resolve.

"I'm scared," she said, "but I'm even more scared of continuing to hide."

She began drafting an action plan for the raven. Gu Xidong closed his eyes and went through each step.

The risk is very high. Zhou Wentao might see through the scam, he might have influence in Switzerland, he might...

Too many variables. But we have to gamble.

An hour later, Raven replied: "Arranged. Zhou Zi'an will be 'missing' for three hours on his way to school tomorrow morning (Swiss time). Be prepared to receive contact from Zhou Wentao."

The plan has been launched.

3

Gu Xidong looked out the window. The night was deep, and the clouds loomed over the city like a shroud.

Tomorrow, we'll either get the final evidence or fall completely into the abyss.

He touched the pocket watch on his chest; the metal was cold.

"Coach," he said softly, "watch closely. I will definitely finish this dance."

At three in the morning, the pain kept him awake. Ling Wuwen dozed off on the back of a chair.

The phone screen lights up. An unfamiliar international call.

Gu Xidong answered the call without saying a word.

Heavy breathing came through the receiver; Zhou Wentao's voice was hoarse and weary: "Release my son."

Gu Xidong remained silent.

"I'm granting you cloud backup access. All of it. Password, key, access address. Release him."

"Give them permission first."

"I need to make sure he's safe."

"You can call the school, and they'll just say he didn't come to class. You won't hear anything more until I get authorization."

There was a ten-second silence on the other end of the phone. Papers flipped through the pages, and keyboards clicked.

"Write it down." Zhou Wentao recited a complex string of characters—cloud address, account, password, and backup verification code.

Ling Wuwen had already woken up and quickly took notes.

"He's been given the keys. Now, release them."

"You'll receive a call from him in three hours." Gu Xidong hung up.

Ling Wuwen immediately logged in using his laptop. The page loaded, he entered his username and password, and completed the two-factor authentication—successful.

The cloud interface expands. The last folder name is: "Final Liquidation".

Creation date: 2:17 AM, November 23rd, three years ago. Seven hours before Ling Wufeng's death.

Ling Wuwen opened the folder.

Inside are neatly categorized subfolders: audio recordings, videos, documents, financial records, lists, etc.

She opened the "Recording" app, and the last file was titled: "Final Warning Before the Match - Backup for Brother".

Double-click to play.

Lin Wufeng's voice was clear and calm:

"Brother, if you hear this, it means my worst fears have come true."

"Chen Guodong, Zhou Wentao, and Chen Rui are members of the 'Black Swan' Club. The club has connections in sports, finance, media, and politics, and has been manipulating matches and buying and selling athletes' futures for over a decade."

"I collected all the evidence and kept it in three copies. One is in your leg, one is in this cloud, and the last one... is in the safest place."

"If I die, don't seek revenge immediately. Wait three years. Three years later, the club will have a 'change of leadership,' and the internal situation will be most unstable, making it the best time to strike."

"Remember, the goal is not to kill them, but to destroy the reputation, power, and 'system' that they cherish most."

"I buried a gift under the ice. Go to the center of the lake where we first went ice skating together, three meters below the ice."

"Turn off the recording now and clear the cloud traces. They'll find out I've hacked here soon."

"Brother, I'm sorry. And... thank you."

Recording has ended.

The ward was deathly silent.

Gu Xidong stared at the screen, tears silently streaming down his face. Three years—Ling Wufeng had even planned out the timeline for his revenge. And he had wasted three years.

Ling Wuwen placed his hand on his trembling shoulder.

"Clear the cloud?"

"Back it up locally, then clear it."

Ling Wuwen began the process. The file was large, and the download progress bar moved slowly.

The sky outside the window was turning white. It was four in the morning, the darkest hour before dawn.

Download complete. Ling Wuwen clicked "Permanently Delete," and the cloud folders disappeared one by one, wiping out his account.

Now, they have the evidence. Complete, usable evidence that can overturn everything.

The phone vibrated again. A text message from Zhou Wentao: "Where's my son?"

Gu Xidong replied: "Three hours later, on time."

He turned off his phone, pulled out the SIM card, broke it, and threw it away.

"Where to now?"

Gu Xidong looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky.

"Let's go to the lake. To get the last gift."

Ling Wuwen packed his things and helped him out of bed. His knees were in excruciating pain, but he stood steadily.

As Gu Xidong reached the door of the ward, he glanced back at the room where he had spent less than twenty-four hours. White walls, a metal bed frame, an IV stand, and melting eyes on the ceiling.

He closed the door.

The corridor lights were a stark white, casting a pale glow on the polished floor, making it resemble an endless expanse of ice.

As they walked out of the hospital, the cool morning air greeted them. Early risers were already on the streets, and steam rose from breakfast stalls.

Gu Xidong looked up at the east. The clouds parted, and golden morning light shone on his face.

He squinted.

For the first time in three years, the sunlight didn't feel glaring.

A black sedan was parked by the roadside; the driver was someone Raven had arranged. They got in and drove out of the city.

Ling Wuwen opened his laptop and browsed the evidence. The more he looked, the more serious his expression became.

"This list... is more terrifying than we imagined."

Gu Xidong leaned closer to look. Some of the names on the screen he recognized from the news, some were high-ranking officials in the sports system, and some were from other fields.

"They didn't just manipulate the games," Ling Wuwen said.

"They are manipulating the entire industry rules. The referee training system, the player selection mechanism, the event hosting rights, the sponsor allocation... they have all been infiltrated."

"To capture them all in one fell swoop."

"It will take time. This evidence needs to be systematically organized, submitted to government departments, and we also need to prevent it from being intercepted along the way."

"So let's go get the last gift first."

The car drove out of the city and onto the highway. The scenery outside the window changed from buildings to fields and then to hills.

4

Two hours later, they arrived at their destination.

That lake is in the far suburbs of the city; it freezes over in winter and becomes a paradise for wild swimming in summer.

When they were thirteen, Gu Xidong and Lin Wufeng came here to skate on the wild ice for the first time.

There were no fences, no lights, only the vast white ice surface and the laughter of two boys.

The lake has thawed, and the emerald green spring water reflects the sky.

Gu Xidong stood on the shore looking at the center of the lake. Lin Wufeng said the gift was three meters below the ice. But now there was no ice, only water.

"We need diving equipment."

"No need." Gu Xidong started taking off his coat. "I know where it is."

"Your legs—"

"Can swim."

He stepped into the water, the spring chill biting to the bone. The water made his knee wound throb with pain, like an electric shock coursing through his body. He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and submerged.

The lake water was murky, and visibility was low. He swam towards the center of the lake from memory and dived. The water pressure increased, and his eardrums throbbed with pain.

Three meters deep.

He groped around at the bottom of the lake. Silt, weeds, pebbles... his fingertips touched something hard.

The metal box was covered in limescale. He pulled it up forcefully, stirring up a cloud of murky liquid.

It surfaced, panting heavily.

Ling Wuwen reached out and pulled him up from the shore. He slumped onto the grass, soaking wet and trembling, clutching the metal box tightly in his hand.

The box had a rusted lock. Ling Wuwen smashed it open with a stone.

There were no files or USB drives inside.

There is only one key.

Made of brass, with an antique design, the lettering on the hanging label is still faintly legible:

"National Sports Archives, third basement level, safe 712"

Gu Xidong held the key, the cold metal gradually warming in his palm.

Ling Wufeng's final gift was not the evidence itself.

It is the key to unlocking the evidence repository.

The real repository of evidence is in the National Archives. The safest, most official, and least likely place to be destroyed.

Ling Wuwen looked at him, then suddenly laughed, and as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.

"He's ruthless. He made us go through all that trouble."

Gu Xidong laughed too. He coughed while laughing, coughing up lake water, coughing out all the emotions that had been building up for three years.

The morning light completely bathed the lake surface, making it shimmer like a shattered mirror.

He stood up, his wet clothes heavy, but he stood ramrod straight.

"Let's go. To the archives."

The car restarted and drove towards the city, towards its final destination.

Gu Xidong watched the scenery rushing past the window, his fingers unconsciously stroking the brass key.

almost.

After three years of darkness, we are finally about to see the sunrise.

He was ready to dance one last dance in the sunlight.

A dance that everyone will remember.